Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 561

Chapter 561: Chapter 561: The Return of the Five Great Gods?
“It’s a pity, though. The cost was too great.”

His overall basic attributes had indeed nearly doubled, and even his energy and vitality had been boosted more than his basic attributes. However, this came at the cost of all the soul power accumulated within the Soul Devourer Sphere.

To put it in perspective, nearly 10,000 soul power points had been harvested from the souls of almost a million second- and third-class soldiers. Given this, if he wanted to strengthen his followers and create an elite army, just how much soul power would he need to support such a force?

Moreover, Sterl had always held the belief that anything external—whether it’s an army, weapons, or items—was just that: external. He prioritized his own development above all else. So, if cultivating his followers consumed this much soul power, it would be better to use it to strengthen himself. Once he reached the true limits of his strength, he could focus on nurturing his subordinates.

“No, if nurturing my followers requires such a large amount of soul power, then this ability is basically useless. There must be something I haven’t discovered yet.”

Sterl thought to himself. Soon, he pinpointed the problem. His current level was at the third-class limit. Until he broke through to Legendary, his experience would not increase.

In addition to this, his soul level was at an astounding 62. Even the Nether Soul race couldn’t possibly have a soul stronger than his. Perhaps, because his soul was so powerful, the cost of improving other aspects had also increased. After all, both body and soul were inherently connected—some even considered the soul to be the core of everything. This theory seemed very plausible.

If that were the case, the cost to enhance his followers might be much smaller. Moreover, soul power could possibly raise the level of his followers directly. If that were true, it might even allow him to create batches of powerful elites. This idea didn’t seem unreasonable at all.

With the Soul Devourer Sphere now empty in his hand, Sterl stopped thinking further. His eyes, gleaming with anticipation, turned toward the cannon fodder army below.

It seemed like a long time had passed, but in reality, only two or three minutes had gone by. Even now, the damage overflow caused by Celestial Stars was just finishing up, and the sea of fire on the battlefield was slowly dissipating, revealing ten massive, crater-like pits that looked as though they were created by fallen meteors.

Even in the crushed, glass-like crystalline pits that had been burned away, vague remnants of weapons and armor debris could still be seen scattered around. One could only imagine the apocalyptic brutality that had taken place here.

However, although the soldiers of this army were weak, their massive numbers—millions strong—were not so easily wiped out. There were still five to six million soldiers remaining.

But at this point, they had all lost the will to fight. Honor, contribution points, and resources—all of these things had been cast aside in their minds. They longed to grow extra legs and flee as far away as possible.

Forget about fighting; simply standing before Sterl without trembling was already impressive. Fight? With what? Their lives? But even that required having a life to begin with!

Fortunately, because Sterl was still part of the Orichalcum faction, the marsh below hadn’t been affected. Now, the giant poisonous insects and beasts hidden in the swamp had begun to emerge, relentlessly attacking and hindering the soldiers’ escape. Additionally, the swamp itself—slow and sticky—caused their movement to slow to a crawl, even rendering them unable to move at all. So, even escaping had become an unattainable luxury. It was simply impossible!

As a result, the remaining millions of soldiers were still clustered together, stuck in the swamp, forming a dark, dense mass.

As for the gods of the Orichalcum and Ashen factions, each of them had stopped what they were doing, staring blankly at Sterl, too afraid to act. They hadn’t expected that Sterl not only hadn’t been injured, but had also unleashed such overwhelming power. The direction of the battle was now entirely in Sterl’s hands, and every move he made would determine the outcome.

“Good thing they didn’t run too far. Otherwise, chasing them one by one would’ve been a real hassle. The Ashen Temple wouldn’t give me that much time…”

After tasting the sweetness of victory, Sterl looked down at the terrified soldiers below, his face flashing with excitement as if he were gazing at precious elixirs.

He then waved his hand again, and the power within him surged out like a flood. The evolved Blood of the Holy Spirit allowed him to increase the level of any skill by one tier, with a duration lasting for two full days.

This meant that for the next two days, Celestial Stars would retain the power of a Platinum Skill, which was already a mighty ability—one that only gods were privileged enough to wield.

When Celestial Stars was combined with Starlight Spray, and then activated in Ascend to Godhood mode, it became the perfect skill to wipe out cannon fodder with devastating efficiency.

“Celestial Stars! Celestial Stars! Celestial Stars!! Celestial Stars!!!”

Without any hesitation, Sterl unleashed Celestial Stars once again, and in an instant, the sky, which had just calmed down, was once again shrouded in thick, eerie dark clouds. This time, with his energy enhanced two to three times, the number of Celestial Stars reached a terrifying total of twenty!

Twenty Celestial Stars, like a meteor shower of annihilation, descended from the heavens, carrying with them overwhelming pressure and flame, howling toward the soldiers below!

“No! Please, no, don’t kill me!”

“Gods, have mercy! We were wrong! We shouldn’t have joined the Ashen Temple, they forced us into it!”

“Gods above, save us!”

The soldiers were utterly desperate, even the will to flee had been erased. They stared up at the Celestial Stars meteors, which were now nearly upon them, trembling uncontrollably. They didn’t even have the energy to resist the creatures from the swamp that were attacking them.

What good was it to fight these monsters? It was a dead end anyway. Such a natural disaster-like attack, such a devastating force, how could they possibly contend with it?

At that moment, in the eyes of the millions of soldiers, Sterl was nothing short of the ultimate reaper, a terrifying entity that wielded the divine authority of slaughter and destruction!

“Do not be afraid… Death is but a new beginning. This is not slaughter, it is fusion. It is your honor to merge with me, for I will ascend to the highest peak. I will carry your residual souls and wills, and I will become the supreme god!”

Looking down at the terrified soldiers, Sterl felt no shame or compassion. Instead, there was a strange sense of satisfaction in his words. His expression, twisted and enigmatic, made him seem like an unfathomable, eldritch god.

But this was his true belief. Although he had destroyed their bodies and absorbed and refined their souls with the Soul Devourer Sphere, every soul’s final scream and resistance before annihilation was engraved in Sterl’s mind.

However, these souls were not much more than tools to display his honor and power, much like the mountain of bones left by countless other reapers.

Of course, in this ever-changing world, even gods could not escape the uncertainty of life and death. How much less could these mortals, trapped in a world where they could not even control their own destinies? In the end, whether they died sooner or later didn’t matter. Offering their souls to him was leaving behind something—a trace. At the very least, Sterl would remember them.

With the Soul Devourer Sphere in hand, Sterl quietly waited for the Celestial Stars to land. He anticipated the soul shockwave that would be caused by the absorption and refinement of souls within the Soul Devourer Sphere.

Before the Celestial Stars could even land, the figures of several gods immediately appeared.

“We can’t let him continue slaughtering like this, or the battle will collapse entirely!”

“Destroy those meteors, leave not a single one!”

These gods instantly activated their divine authority and Law Power, unleashing powerful Platinum-level abilities to strike at the Celestial Stars meteors that were about to fall.

When the five gods appeared, the cannon fodder on the Ashen side breathed a sigh of relief, and even the legendary army let out a long breath.

There was no other choice—the pressure Sterl had imposed was simply too overwhelming. If the Ashen Temple’s army was truly destroyed, the battlefield would immediately lose its balance, and this terrifying reaper would have free rein to deal with them.

Even though they controlled powerful formations, they had no confidence that they could withstand the relentless bombardment of meteors. It was a terrifyingly deadly situation.

Even the Orichalcum faction’s army, which was part of the same alliance, began to relax a little. It was just too shocking. They had originally believed that the fallen Hades was dead, but not only had he survived, he had made a terrifying return, slaughtering mercilessly.

The sight of him unleashing meteors to massacre the cannon fodder army left a deep unease in their hearts. Each of them felt a chill running down their spine, secretly thinking to themselves that if they ever encountered this killing god again, they would be wise to avoid any provocation. If someone were to try and kill him, even the gods might not be able to save them!

Sterl felt a bit confused. Clearly, the divine power on both sides had reached a balance, so how could the Ashen faction dare to send their gods to stop him? What about the other two fronts?

However, when he saw the faces of the five gods, a look of realization crossed his face, followed by a surge of excitement.

Because these five gods were none other than the ones who had attacked him before, using a mix of Law and Divine Power to assault him under the protection of Shielding Power!

He had used the Stellar Barrier of the Starry Battle Armor to block the chaotic divine power, and then immediately retreated into a subspace. He had watched these five vanish right before his eyes. Now, to his surprise, they had reappeared and were participating in the battle once again.

This was perfect. He hadn’t had the chance to properly get back at them for the previous ambush. Now, these five trash gods dared to show their faces and hinder him again? It was time to settle both old and new grudges!